From within the blazing ring of fire, waves of intense flame surged outward.
The explosion roared like a volcanic shockwave, raining down upon the giant robot in a tidal storm of molten heat!
In an instant, the entire forest was bathed in orange light.
"I never imagined… Aiden could unleash power like this." Grandpa Max's eyes widened in disbelief.
Deep down, he'd known what the Omnitrix truly was — but he had pretended otherwise until now.
He had never expected that a kid who had just obtained it could make Heatblast this powerful.
Was this really Heatblast?
No — it was more like a Fire God.
Even Vilgax, who was observing through the robot's sensors, felt uneasy. He didn't yet know how destructive the attack truly was — but the visual alone was terrifying.
As the inferno engulfed the robot's metal body, its alloy armor melted like wax under the sun.
Within seconds, it was reduced to ash and slag, leaving behind only waves of shimmering heat and dancing embers.
Heatblast had completely annihilated the enemy in one move.
"Now… time to deal with the forest fire."
Raising his flaming hand, Heatblast turned his wrist. The flames devouring the forest instantly responded to his will, swirling through the air before converging back into his body.
It was an incredible display of fire control — effortless, precise, and terrifying.
Meanwhile, inside Vilgax's command hall…
The holographic feed suddenly went dark. The robot had been vaporized — not even debris remained.
A heavy silence filled the chamber.
"This boy… he just obtained the Omnitrix. How can he already be this strong?!" Vilgax snarled, his massive frame trembling with fury.
What enraged him most was the realization that his own natural affinity for the Omnitrix might actually be inferior to that human child's!
"Lord Vilgax, what are your orders?" one of his robotic lieutenants asked nervously. "Should we deploy more units?"
"Deploy all of them!" Vilgax roared. "Send every combat drone we have! I want that human boy captured alive — no matter the cost!"
The pressure in the room grew suffocating as Vilgax's fury flared. For the first time, the mighty warlord felt something he'd never experienced before — jealousy.
Back in the forest, Heatblast finished absorbing the last of the flames.
Beep… Beep… Beep.
The Omnitrix symbol on his chest began flashing rapidly. A moment later, his whole body glowed bright green — and when the light faded, Aiden was back.
He pressed a hand to his chest, still catching his breath, eyes filled with awe. The Omnitrix on his wrist had turned from green to red — its power on cooldown.
Ben and Gwen rushed up to him, relief flooding their faces.
"Whatever you're about to say, save it for the campsite," Grandpa Max interrupted, glancing warily at the dark forest around them. "It's not safe here."
"You're right," Aiden agreed, nodding. He instinctively took Gwen's hand, ready to lead her back.
Her face immediately flushed red. Looking up at the handsome boy beside her, she stammered, "I… I can walk on my own."
Ben blinked in disbelief. Since when does Gwen talk that softly to anyone?
"Oh, sorry!" Aiden quickly let go, looking a little embarrassed. "Guess I'm still coming down from battle mode."
"It's fine," Gwen said, her voice gentle. For some reason, her heart felt warm.
"Alright, lovebirds," Grandpa Max teased with a chuckle. "Let's move before another one of those things shows up."
Aiden scratched his cheek awkwardly, then hurried to follow.
A few minutes later, the four of them reached their campsite.
The campfire flickered to life again, casting a soft glow across their faces. Grandpa Max rummaged through the RV for supplies while Aiden, Ben, and Gwen sat around the fire.
Both cousins stared curiously at the sleek, alien watch on Aiden's wrist — the Omnitrix.
"This thing's amazing," Aiden said, grinning. "When I pop up the dial and press it, I can transform into an alien hero."
He turned the Omnitrix dial slowly, showing them the different holographic silhouettes rotating across the display.
"So all of these are different aliens you can become?" Gwen asked, eyes wide.
"Yeah," Aiden nodded. "There are ten in total right now. The first one — the guy made entirely of fire — that's Heatblast."
"Man, that's so cool!" Ben exclaimed. "If only I could try it out for myself!"
Gwen smirked at him. "Please, Ben. If you had it, you'd have burned down the forest before the robot even showed up."
"Hey!" Ben protested, pouting.
Her teasing, however, carried a tone of admiration when she turned back to Aiden — the kind that made Ben's jaw drop.
"Aiden… thank you for saving me back there," Gwen said sincerely, her voice soft and grateful. Her heart skipped just a little.
Aiden smiled faintly. "No need to thank me. I wasn't about to let anyone get hurt."